Gadget Girl by Suzanne Kamata Review + Interview

Gadget Girl by Suzanne Kamata
Published by GemmaMedia
Expected Release May 17th, 2013

Aiko, a Japanese girl with cerebral palsy, just wants to find her father. She fantasizes constantly about what will happen when he realizes he has a daughter, and when she can live with him and Japan. Therefore, when Aiko's mother announces that her and Aiko are taking a trip to France, she's slightly disappointed. Why couldn't they go to Japan? But once Aiko arrives in France, her opinion begins to change. The charm of Paris slowly begin to charm Aiko and so does the handsome waiter, Herve who has the same interest in manga as she does. As they bond over reading, printing and distributing Aiko's own series of manga, Aiko begins to experience first love. A coming of age novel, Gadget Girl appeals to all girls who love the refreshing, sweet tale of slowly growing up. 

I really enjoyed Gadget Girl! At first, I wasn't quite sure about the novel. I'm a big fan of adventure and action, and wasn't positive this book would entertain me. But I found that I liked this novel as much as any adventure novel! I found that I could really relate to Aiko, as I'm sure most girls can. There's something about her that I found spoke to me; being awkward, growing up, feeling betrayed. I also loved the naivety she has. 

Additionally, there's so many difficulties in Aiko's life: her cerebral palsy, her father, her mother's art, Herve. All of this Aiko deals with by herself. She truly is a strong character. Also, the cast of characters in Suzanne Kamata's novel is great! There's Aiko's best friend (And my personal favorite character), Whitney, who has an obsession with olden-time Hollywood. She's unique and supports Aiko whole heartedly. Herve also is also supportive of Aiko. He also acts as Aiko's guide while in France. Aiko's father also joins the characters. He's a complete mystery, to both us and Aiko. 

Overall, I adored Gadget Girl! It really captures the essence of growing up and accepting who you are! To visit Suzanne Kamata's website, click here. Look below to read an interview with the author of Gadget Girl, Suzanne Kamata!

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Interview with Suzanne Kamata, author of Gadget Girl

Gadget Girl is a fantastic story about accepting who you are. What influenced you to write about this?

Thanks so much, Kate! I have a daughter with special needs, whom I've written about a lot. When she was smaller, I fantasized about taking a trip to Paris with her. I figured around fourteen would be a good age, but I remember being very difficult for my own mother when I was 13-14. So I imagined going to Paris with my daughter as she was starting to form her own identity.

In your novel, Aiko travels to quite a few places! Have you ever gone to any of the sites that Aiko visited?

I studied in France for a semester when I was in college, and I visited the country - and Paris! - three or four times after that. I went shopping at Galeries Lafayette, visited the Louvre, and saw the Eiffel Tower (but didn't go up). I visited some of the places , like the garden designed by Isamu Noguchi and Lourdes, virtually, or via movies. Researching this book made me really want to go to Paris, and my daughter is about to turn fourteen...so we're going to Paris! In one week from today!! And this time, we will go UP the Eiffel Tower!!

Both Aiko and Herve have a love for manga. Do you like manga as well? How were you first introduced to this form of art?

I've never been a huge manga fan, but my daughter loves manga. Recently, my husband and children read manga all the time. I've recently discovered that a lot of manga have been translated and posted online. I'm not sure if this is legal or not, but I've been reading "The Rose of Versailles" by Riyoko Ikeda, which is about a girl raised as a boy, who becomes head guard for Marie Antoinette. It's a fantastic story, and I think it would make a great YA novel! It's a classic.  Anyway, I think I'll be reading more manga from now.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Read, read, read. Write, write, write. And get feedback on your work. Also, be patient and persistent. Very simple, but those are my secrets.

 Hot Chocolate or Coffee?

Coffee.

Which would you rather visit, the Eiffel Tower or the Moulin Rouge?

The Moulin Rouge.

Teaser Tuesday: Reboot by Amy Tintera

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Anyone can participate all you have to do is:

- grab the book you're currently reading

- open to a random page

- share two "teaser" sentences from anywhere on that page

- be careful not to share spoilers!

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REBOOT by Amy Tintera

Published by Harper Teen

Released May 7th, 2013

"His dark eyes held mine. Not many people looked me in the eye. Humans didn't want to look at me at all and Reboots were either scared or felt I was some sort of superior."

- REBOOT pg. 26

"The outside world was filled with humans who hated us, and a government set up to enslave or kill us."

- REBOOT pg. 110

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I personally thought REBOOT was a well written book. The characters were very intricate, especially Wren. It was interesting how she thought, compared to how she acted. In the end however, my interest did begin to lag just slightly, but the concept of Amy Tintera's novel alone kept me reading the final pages. I think fans of dystopian and action would enjoy this novel a lot!

Teen Board Blog Post: What Makes a Novel "Girly?"

Hello! Here's a post I wrote for Teen Reads regarding the concept of "girly" novel. 

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Girls only like romance novels about love triangles and love at first sight. Boys only like novels that are fast-paced, action thrillers with tons of violence. Do these stereotypes sound familiar? Are they true? Our Teen Board member, Kate, talks about what she thinks makes a "girly" novel.

I’ve asked and been asked this question a lot! From what I’ve seen, girls are more likely to be open to different kinds of novels, whether that book isTWILIGHT or ENDER'S GAME. Boys however, are very opinionated when it comes to books. Multiple factors come into play when boys decide if a novel is “girly” or not. In order to get multiple opinions, I decided to interview some of my classmates about what they think makes a novel “girly.”

Johnny, an eighth grade boy, says that he considers factors such as the cover. If the cover has a girl on it, he considers it a “girly” novel, or, as he likes to call them, a “Kate” book (due to my tendency to read novels with girls on the cover.) Grace says that she doesn’t think the cover pertains to whether the novel could appeal to girls or boys. She instead says that romance is the main factor or if the novel is from a girl’s perspective about her life. Sloan agrees with Grace about the romance, but also adds that if the novel has no action, it most likely won’t appeal to guys.

Overall, I feel that the saying “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” comes into play when deciding whether a novel is girly or not. For example, Susan Dennard’s SOMETHING STRANGE AND SOMETHING DEADLY has a girl depicted on the cover, but is about a world where zombies, or the “undead,” roam the streets, and it's filled with action! To write a novel off as a “girly” novel without reading the synopsis isn’t the best way to decide if this novel would be right for you. Keep this in mind the next time you roam the aisles at a bookstore, looking for that perfect book. Otherwise you might end up doing yourself a disservice.

Whether you're a guy or girl, have you ever read a novel that you thought would be too “girly” for your tastes? If so, what did you think of it?

By Kate

Taken by Erin Bowman

Taken by Erin Bowman
Published by Harper Teen
Released on April 16th, 2013 

There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

I've been eagerly awaiting the release of Taken for quite a while now! First, look at that cover; It's gorgeous! Second, it sounds exciting and adventurous, and boy, did it live up to assumption! One thing that I thought was interesting is that the main character is a boy. I don't know why this surprised me, but I feel like in todays world, especially in the books I tend to read, the main characters are girls. I personally enjoyed this refreshing perspective. 

The plot also is very intricate. Claysoot, named after the soil found in that area, is a rather heartbroken town. All their men are taken at a young age, leaving their mothers, wives and children to worry about what has happened to them. Gray doesn't want to be taken, which is no surprise, no one wants to be taken. Yet Gray is different because he has something (or should I say someone) to fight for. This proves an interesting plot in itself as Gray struggles to find a way over the wall. But the plot gets even more interesting. Of course, you'll have to read the book to find out because I'm getting dangerously close to spoiler territory!

Overall, Taken is a great novel, and will interest anyone who enjoys adventure and action as well as  exciting plot twists and shocking betrayals! To visit Erin Bowman's website, click here. 

Blog Post: Fresh Spring Reads

Spring has arrived and so have many brilliant young adult novels! With a lot to choose from, here’s a list of novels I’m planning on reading this spring, and ones that I think you should read, too! 

PIVOT POINT by Kasie West sounds like nothing I’ve ever read before! This novel is about Addison Coleman, a girl who can look into the future and see the outcomes of a choice she must make. When her parent’s get divorced, Addison has the choice to live with either her mom or her dad. However, both choices have their flaws and perks, and her decision proves to be the most difficult she’s ever had to make.

REVENGE OF THE GIRL WITH THE GREAT PERSONALITY by Elizabeth Eulberg sounds like a fun, hilarious read! Lexi is funny, smart and popular. But she’s never been one of those girls who the guys pay attention to. What’s more is that Lexi’s little sister, Mackenzie, is a beauty pageant contestant, where she is constantly judged by her superficial beauty. Lexi’s sick of her family’s pursuit of perfection. Other girls had better watch out, because Lexi is tired of being ignored. She’s ready to play the beauty game --- and she’s playing to win.

POISON by Bridget Zinn sounds charming and whimsical with a little bit of romance. Kyra, a 16-year-old girl and skilled poisons master wants what’s best for her kingdom. To do that, Kyra makes a difficult choice; she decides to poison the kingdom’s new leader, who just so happens to be her best friend. But her poison dart misses for the first time, and Kyra is forced into hiding. Armed with her potions, an adorable pig and Fred, a charming adventurer, Kyra is still determined to do what’s best for her kingdom at any cost.

MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza sounds adventurous and fast paced! Mila was never supposed to remember who she is. She was supposed to forget that she was built in a top-secret science lab and has been programmed to do things that real people would never do. Now, Mila is on the run from two very different organizations; one that wants to shut her down and one that wants to unlock her secrets. No one truly knows what’s happening to Mila, yet it might just end up saving her life.

For all you Infernal Devices fans, CLOCKWORK PRINCESS is a must-read on your spring reading list! In this final installment of Cassandra Clare’s beloved series, the Shadowhunters find themselves in more danger than ever.  Faced with impossible choices, Tessa Gray and her friends must choose between saving the world, or destroying what she loves most.

TAKEN by Erin Bowman comes out on April 16th, and I cannot wait! This novel sounds fresh and exciting. Gray Weathersby’s 18th birthday is just months away. To any normal teenager, that may sound like great news. But to Gray, it means uncertainty. In Claysoot, on a boy’s 18th birthday, the ground shakes, the wind blows, a bright light descends…and the boy disappears. Clay is resigned to his fate, but then he discovers a letter from his mother and begins to question everything he’s ever known.

Agent Colt Shore Domino 29 by Axel Avian Review + Contest

Agent Colt Shore Domino 29 by Axel Avian
Published by Arundel Publishing
Expected Release on May 15th, 2013

All his life Colton Shore has heard about his older brother Dix. Dead at age twenty-two, Dix has always been the hero; handsome, young and perfect. But what Colt doesn't know is that the people in his life have never been completely honest with him. When a startling truth comes to light regarding Dix, Colt is thrust into the secretive world of field agents. 

Now Colt must go undercover to protect Talya and Thorne, members of Colt's favorite band....and the children of missing journalist Sophie Ellis. Sophie has been doing dangerous work in Afghanistan, uncovering truths that certain people would rather she not know. Colt's assignment proves much more difficult than expected when not only does he find Sophie Ellis, but also suspicious evidence that leads Colt to believe something much fishier than anything F.A.L.C.O.N. imagined is taking place. This is Colton Shore's first mission, and you're invited along. 

Agent Colt Shore Domino 29 was one of those books I could not seem to put down! Full of humor, action and adventure, Colt's first mission proves to be entertaining and exciting. First of all, I loved the author's way of using dominos to explain the way how one tiny, minuscule decision you make can completely change your life. You never really stop to think about how your decisions affect who you are today, and I found myself really thinking about that while reading Agent Colt Shore Domino 29. 

While the characters are all great, I really loved Talya. She's so determined to do what is right, and often isn't concerned about her own safety. Thank goodness Colt was there with her! These two characters balance each other out perfectly, with Colt being cautious and calm and Talya being impulsive and reckless. Also, even though these characters lead crazy lives, the reader will still be able to relate to them. For example, obviously I'm no secret agent, yet I still relate to Colt because in my life I have to make tough decisions that will affect others around me.

 What I loved most about this novel although, was the tone. Risky and dangerous, it seems like anything could happen in this novel. Yet Agent Colt Shore Domino 29 is 100% realistic, and that makes this novel even better! Overall, Agent Colt Shore Domino 29 was a fast-paced novel that will keep the reader on the edge of their seats. It's a must read for anyone who loves action, and adventure!

To visit Axel Avian's website, click here.

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A message from the publisher...

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Arundel Publishing is announcing our first young adult reading contest. Our newest young adult thriller, Agent Colt Shore: Domino 29 has received many positive reviews from you so, we would like for you to use your creativity to write us!

We are asking that readers write an action and adventure based short story that is both exciting and positive. All stories should include at least one of your favorite characters from the book and can be any length you choose.

Please submit all entries to Karen.lee@arundelpublishing.com by December 15^th, 2013. Winners will receive an age appropriate spy kit, along with the opportunity to be published in an upcoming F.A.L.C.O.N tale. We look forward to reading your stories!

Happy writing!

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

In this epic and thrilling final installment in Cassandra Clare’s bestselling seriesThe Infernal Devices, Tessa Gray is forced to make decisions that will not only affect her, but all the Shadowhunters for decades to come.

Tessa Gray had never imagined she’d be engaged at the age of 17. Yet there she was, a bride to be. Everything should be perfect. She should be happy. But Tessa finds that marriage won’t solve her problems.

"Cassandra Clare wrapped up The Infernal Devicesperfectly in CLOCKWORK PRINCESS. She manages to raise the stakes impossibly high, yet still gives the characters hope for the future."

As Mortmain and his automatons slowly close in on Tessa’s future happiness, the inhabitants of the London Institute discover that Mortmain isn’t the only one threatening their safety. No matter what happens, the Shadowhunters’ world will never be the same. Filled with romance, sorrow and heartbreak, CLOCKWORK PRINCESS will leave you breathless.

Cassandra Clare wrapped up The Infernal Devices perfectly in CLOCKWORK PRINCESS. She manages to raise the stakes impossibly high, yet still gives the characters hope for the future. We still get the wit and humor. We still get hilarious scenes. But all the characters can tell that the dangers they have faced are creeping in on them.

Tessa seemed more jaded in CLOCKWORK PRINCESS. She wants to sacrifice herself and her well being in order to protect the ones she loves. As hard as Will and Jem try to keep her out of harm’s way, Tessa has reached a point where she knows that she alone holds the power to stop Mortmain. I loved watching Tessa slowly develop this awareness, and what she does for love is truly inspiring. Not only Tessa, but all the characters find that they must make sacrifices; whether it’s for love, redemption or the Clave.

What I loved most about CLOCKWORK PRINCESS, though, was the way Cassandra Clare ended her novel. Many would expect the adventure to be over, for all the ties to be knotted. But Cassandra Clare still manages to leave some things unknown. All these little questions can be expected to be answered in her other series, The Mortal Instruments. Rest assured, if you can’t bear for this series to end, that The Infernal Devices series is not entirely over. Fans can expect more romance and adventure for years to come.

By Kate F. for Teenreads